Cobb County residents looking for more outdoor fun could be rewarded with new trails in Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield Park.
During its meeting last week, the county’s board of commissions approved a $704,000 engineering contract for the design of three new trails proposed for the park.
The trails would cover about 3.25 miles along portions of Whitlock Avenue on Burnt Hickory Rd, Whitlock Dallas Highway, and Cheatham Hill Rd, said park superintendent Nancy Walther.
Total cost for the trail project is $13.2 million, county officials said. Most of the money for the design work will come from the county’s 2016 SPLOST, or special purpose local sales tax funds; with Marietta paying about a third of the cost.
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Georgia DOT and the National Park Service have pledged $5.2 million toward the project. The rest of the money for the trails has yet to be secured, Jim Wilgus, the county’s transportation director, said.
The three trails will be an addition to the 22 miles of trails at the park. Construction could begin in two years, Wilgus said.
Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield Park recorded about 2.4 million visits in 2016, and 8 percent increase over the previous year, according to the National Park Service.
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